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Introduction

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The ability to tie knots is a skill that can prove valuable to anyone. Children learn at an early age that it is necessary to tie a good knot in their shoelaces in order to keep shoes firmly on their feet. They also soon discover that if such a knot is made properly, it can be untied with only a little effort. The increased use of other types of fasteners, such as snaps, zippers, buttons, and velcro, is unfortunately making knot-tying a lost art.

A knot, correctly made, remains secure but may be easily untied. A hitch is a knot that is less secure and is usually looped around a stationary object. A splice is a permanent knot formed by interweaving the strands of a single rope or of two ropes.

The professions and trades in which knots are used are many and varied. The surgeon must be able to tie knots deep within an incision. The rancher, fisher, and sailor must all know many good knots and how to apply them to best advantage.

Many types of knots have been employed for decorative purposes. Some have served as badges in heraldry. The carrick bend—a knot now used for tying two ropes together—was the heraldic badge of Hereward Wake, a Saxon leader of the 11th century.

Knot-making was a highly developed skill long before the modern era. Stone Age people made fishnets by knotting together strands of fiber. The sailors of ancient Egypt were proficient knot makers. Pottery and sculpture reveal that the ancient Greeks were familiar with the square knot.

Knots

Some knots are especially valuable because of the speed with which they can be made. The best, however, are those that hold firmly without slipping, yet do not bind so tightly that they are difficult to untie. The long portion of a rope, about which the loose end is woven, is called the standing part. A loop of rope is termed a bight.

Overhand Knot

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The simplest of all knots is the overhand, or thumb, knot. Although usually a part of other, more complex, knots, it may also be employed by itself, to provide a handhold on a rope, to prevent a rope from raveling, and to keep a rope end from running through a pulley or a sewing thread from pulling through cloth. The overhand knot is made by holding the standing part in one hand, forming a closed loop with the free end, and drawing the end around and through the loop.

Square Knot

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The knot that is most commonly used for fastening ropes or strings together is the square knot, also known as the sailor’s, or reef, knot. Shoelaces, for example, are customarily tied by means of the square knot. The square knot is always used by sailors in reefing a sail, that is, shortening a sail by tying back a portion.

Made with ropes of the same thickness, the square knot is extremely reliable and easy to untie. It is less reliable if it is made with ropes of different thicknesses. Even if the ropes are stiff and wet, they can be loosened without difficulty by pushing the free ends back against the knot, then completely untied by pulling out the loops—as one does when untying shoelaces.

To tie a square knot the loose ends of two ropes are passed around each other once and then again in such a way that the standing part and the end of each rope come out on the same side of the loop.

If the standing parts and the ends of the ropes are brought out on opposite sides of the loop, the result is a granny, or lubber’s, knot. The granny knot is unreliable, for it slips easily and gives way under strain.

Sheet Bend

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The term bend is generally applied to knots that connect two ropes or that connect one rope with a solid object. The sheet bend, or weaver’s knot, is one of the most useful of these. Weavers tie ends of thread together with this knot because it passes smoothly through the needle. The sheet bend is begun like the square knot, but one of the ends is then turned back under itself.

Fisherman’s Bend

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The fisherman’s, or anchor, bend is commonly used by sailors to fasten a rope to a buoy or an anchor ring. The rope is looped twice around the securing object, the second loop passing over the first. The end is looped again, this time passing through the first two loops. The knot is frequently made secure by binding the end with string against the standing part.

Slipknot

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One of the easiest knots to tie is the slipknot, or running knot. It is made by first forming a bight, then making an overhand knot around the standing part. The slipknot is not strong and will give under strain. It frequently serves a temporary purpose.

Bowline

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One of the most useful of all knots, the bowline is sometimes called the “king of knots.” It is quickly and easily tied and will never slip. The bowline is tied by forming a loop in the standing part and passing the end through this loop, around the standing part above it, then back through the loop. The bowline on a bight is formed with a length of rope that has been doubled back upon itself. It is begun in the same way as the bowline, but after being passed through the loop, the bight is spread open and the parts of the knot already formed are pulled through it. The bowline on a bight is used to support a person working along the side of a ship or along other steep worksites.

Hitches

Usually a hitch is formed around a solid object, such as a spar, post, or ring. Some types of hitches work loose by themselves if the standing part is not subjected to a constant strain.

Clove Hitch

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Perhaps the most widely used of the hitches is the clove, or ratline, hitch. It is especially practical for making a rope fast to a pole or similar object. The end is passed over the object twice, the second loop crossing back over the standing part; it is then pulled through the inside of the loop so that it lies along the standing part.

Half Hitch

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A basic segment of many knots is the half hitch. This is a simple loop around a pole or other stationary object, with the end and the standing part in tension against each other. Two half hitches—providing considerably more security than a single half hitch—are commonly used for such purposes as tying up a boat to a dock post.

Timber Hitch

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The timber hitch is often used in towing logs or other cylindrical objects. These can be towed lengthwise by adding one or more half hitches to the timber hitch. The timber hitch is formed by making a half hitch and then winding the end around the loop.

Sheepshank

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The sheepshank, first developed in about 1627, is the most practical knot for shortening a rope without cutting it. The rope is first folded back and forth along its length. A clove hitch is then made at each end to secure the folds.

Figure Eight Halter Hitch

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Halter hitches are customarily employed to fasten the halters of horses and cows to posts and hitching rings. The figure eight halter hitch has a special advantage—it can be untied quickly. To tie a figure eight halter hitch, the end is passed through a hitching ring or a similar secure object, then turned against itself to form a closed loop; the remaining part of the end is passed around the standing part and doubled to form a bight; the bight is then drawn through the first loop, and the hitch is tightened by pulling on the standing part. It is easily untied by pulling on the end of the rope. However, an animal that has been restrained by means of this hitch cannot free itself.

Splices

A splice is used to connect the ends of two ropes or to form a loop at the end of a rope. Splices are considerably stronger than knots, but they do not have the advantage of being easily undone. Wire rope is always repaired by splicing, since it is too stiff for the satisfactory formation of knots.

Short Splice

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The simplest type of splice is the short splice, in which the strands of two ropes are unlaid, or untwisted, to a convenient length and then interwoven to form one rope. When the strands have been untwisted, the ropes are placed end to end with the strands spread out. The ropes may be temporarily tied into this position with a string. Each strand of one rope is then laced under one strand and over a second strand of the other. This process is repeated until the unlaid portions of both ropes have been completely interwoven. The resulting splice is somewhat bulkier than the rest of the rope, since it contains twice as many strands.

Eye Splice

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The eye splice is made in the same way as the short splice. In the eye splice, however, the end of a single rope is woven back into itself, to form a loop, or eye. In splicing Manila rope, the openings between strands are made with a pointed wooden fid. For wire rope, a metal or metal-tipped marlinespike is used. The art of working with fiber and wire rope is known as marlinespike seamanship. (See alsorope and twine; fishing.)

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